The highly anticipated Leapmotor C01 finally debuted at the 2022 Shenzhen Auto in China. Pre-sales of the vehicle already commenced from the 10th of May while deliveries are expected to begin from September. Leapmotor has already received more than 45,000 orders of the C01 electric sedan which is priced between 180,000 yuan (PKR 53.54 lac) and 270,000 yuan (PKR 80.32 lac) and comes with a lifetime warranty for the first owner.
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The fastback-styled C01 sedan has its front-end quite similar to the Leapmotor’s C11 SUV. The C01 boasts a drag coefficient of just 0.226cd and it is attained through the use of concealed door handles, frame-less doors, a roof-line flowing effortlessly to the back, and low-drag rims on all four wheels of the EV. The car’s front grille is also closed to add to the effect.
In terms of dimensions, C01 measures 5,050 mm long 1,902mm wide and 1,509mm tall while having a wheelbase of 2,930 mm. For the sake of comparison, the latest Toyota Camry XV measures 4,890 mm long, 1,840mm wide and 1,450mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,820mm. This makes Leapmotor C01 longer, wider and taller having an even greater wheelbase than the Camry.
Inside, it strictly follows the recipe for electric cars in China and comes with three floating screens of 10.25 inches, 12.8 inches, and 10.25 inches. Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip has been used to runs these screens. Owners will be able to use more than 40 preinstalled apps. The 3.5 generation voice recognition system from iFLYTEK has been used to ensure seamless user interaction. Driver identification and personalization are made with face recognition while up to 25 settings are automatically associated with the user according to their habits.
To develop the C01, Leapmotor has used CTC (cell to chassis) technology in which the chassis, underbody, and battery are all integrated. This eliminates the requirement for a separately installed battery pack. Five different variants are offered, and customers can choose from 4 range options which are 500km, 606km, 630km, and 717km.
An oil-cooled electric drive is installed, which ensures a maximum speed of 16 thousand rpm and an 88.5% combined efficiency. The weight of the electric drive is 85 kg, and this is designed to last for more than a million kilometers. Leapmotor C01 630 Pro+ four-wheel drive is the top-performance variant and comes with two electric drives. This will have a maximum torque output of 720 Nm and a maximum power of 400 kW (542 hp) allowing it to reach 0-100km/h in just 3 and a half seconds.
Leapmotor may just be an EV startup but its enjoying a very good start in vehicle production foray. The company launched the C11 EV SUV just over a year ago and in April 2022 alone, Leapmotor has delivered 9,087 units in China, witnessing a 200% year-on-year surge in sales. This is 6 times more what Tesla sold in China in April (1,512 units). And looking at the number of orders for the C01 EV, Leapmotor has a wonderful year ahead in Chinese market.
A computer animation professional with over 23 years of industry experience having served in leading organizations, TV channels & production facilities in Pakistan. An avid car enthusiast and petrolhead with an affection to deliver quality content to help shape opinions. Formerly written for PakWheels as well as major publications including Dawn. Founder of CarSpiritPK.com